Brachytherapy for clinically localized prostate cancer: thirteen-year disease-free survival of 769 consecutive prostate cancer patients treated with permanent implants alone.

OBJECTIVE: To report 13-year biochemical disease-free survival results on 769 consecutive prostate cancer patients treated with brachytherapy alone. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seven hundred sixty-nine patients with stage T1-T3, low to high Gleason grade prostate cancer underwent transperineal prostate implants with Iodine-125 (I-125) or Palladium-103 (Pd-103) as the sole treatment between January 1, 1987 and January 1, 1997. Median age was 69 years (range 43-92) and median follow-up was 71 months (range 18-156). Study cohort characteristics are summarized in Tables I and II and Figures 4-6. The patients were divided into two risk groups (low and high risk for extra-prostatic disease) based mainly on clinical stage and Gleason score. Group 1 consisted of 542 patients, who were considered at low risk and were treated with I-125. Group 2 comprised 227 patients, who were considered higher risk and were treated with Pd-103. No patient underwent pathological staging and none received androgen ablative therapy. Treatment failure was based on our modification of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's (ASTRO) recommended failure criteria, defined as 3 consecutive serum Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) rises (1). A critical component in our modification is that the value of the third PSA rise be above 0.5 ng/mL. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-seven patients were lost to follow-up. Thirteen patients expired of non-cancer causes within 18 months of the implant. This left 619 patients for evaluation, 441 in Group 1 and 178 in Group 2. The biochemical disease-free survival rates of the 619 patients at 3, 5, 10, and 13 years were 85%, 80%, 77%, and 77%, respectively (Fig. 1). The biochemical disease-free survival rates of the 441 "lower risk" I-125 treated patients at 3, 5, 10, and 13 years were 84%, 79%, 76%, and 76%, respectively (Fig. 2). The biochemical disease-free survival rates of the 178 "higher risk" Pd-103 treated patients at 3, 5, 10, and 13 years were 87%, 82%, 80%, and 80%, respectively (Fig. 3). CONCLUSION: The excellent long-term results presented here, as well as the many advantages of prostate brachytherapy over other common treatments, demonstrate that brachytherapy is an effective treatment for clinical organ-confined prostate cancer in the long term.

Modern prostate brachytherapy. Prostate specific antigen results in 219 patients with up to 12 years of observed follow-up.

BACKGROUND: The purported lack of long term modern prostate brachytherapy outcome data continues to lead many physicians to recommend other, more traditional treatments. This concern for long term results has encouraged the authors to supplement their earlier 10-year follow-up of patients receiving brachytherapy; in the process, an additional 77 patients (> 50%) were added to the original cohort, and the follow-up time was increased by 2 years. METHODS: Between January 1987 and September 1989, 229 patients with T1-T3 prostate carcinoma underwent transperineal prostate brachytherapy using iodine-125 (I-125). No patient received adjuvant hormone therapy. The median Gleason sum was 5 (range, 2-10). Of these patients, 147 were determined to have a high probability of organ-confined disease and were treated solely with an I-125 implant. The remaining 82 patients were determined to be at increased risk for extracapsular disease and received pelvic external beam radiation in addition to brachytherapy. All patients were followed continuously. Failure was defined as a positive biopsy, radiographic evidence of metastases, or three consecutive rises in prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels as defined by the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) consensus article. RESULTS: Excluding deaths from intercurrent disease, the median follow-up was 122 months (range, 18-144 months). Fourteen patients were excluded from analysis due to insufficient follow-up. Adopting the ASTRO definition of failure resulted in minimal change in survival when compared with the authors' previous study, which used a PSA level > 0.5 ng/mL as the failure point. Observed 10-year disease free survival (DFS) for the entire cohort was 70%. In the brachytherapy only group, the observed 10-year DFS was 66%, whereas those patients treated with the addition of external pelvic radiation achieved a DFS of 79%. None of the patients who were followed for the full 12 years failed between Years 10 and 12. Only 25% of the failures observed occurred > 5 years after treatment, thus confirming the durability of brachytherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Prostate brachytherapy provides excellent long term disease control with few late failures reported in the authors' program. The addition of external beam radiation appears to confer survival advantages in selected patients. Using the ASTRO failure criteria for long term follow-up resulted in no significant difference compared with using a PSA failure point of 0.5 ng/mL.

Techniques to achieve optimal seed placement in salvage and primary brachytherapy for prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: To delineate flexible, interactive prostate brachytherapy techniques relying extensively on intraoperative biplane ultrasound and fluoroscopic visualization as developed over a period of 10 years in a brachytherapy program involving more than 2,500 patients treated to date. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Specialized techniques were developed and refined in pretreatment transrectal ultrasound evaluation, interactive seed placement, and postoperative evaluation of implant quality. Special methods were also designed and implemented for treatment of salvage patients and otherwise difficult cases involving large prostates, interfering pubic bone structure, and prostatic defects due to prior transurethral resection of the prostate. RESULTS: Favorable clinical results, including 79% actuarial disease-free survival at 5 years with low morbidity, have been recently reported in 543 patients with localized primary prostate cancer treated by brachytherapy using the specialized techniques. Promising results have also been recently described in 49 patients who had failed prior radiotherapy and then underwent salvage brachytherapy. Among the techniques found useful were the judicious use of curved stylets and disposable and nondisposable needles, as well as monitoring and minimizing intraoperative prostate movement and compensating for unavoidable movement. CONCLUSIONS: Prostate brachytherapy has attracted renewed interest, largely due to advancements in technique. The presented techniques allow brachytherapy to be performed optimally in a broad range of patients.

Modern prostate brachytherapy.

Of all the treatment options available for men with organ-confined prostate cancer, brachytherapy--permament implantation of radioactive seeds into the prostate gland--is the least disruptive for the patient, both physiologically and practically. Early brachytherapy represents the oldest technique for delivering radiation to the prostate gland, preceding external beam therapy of the prostate by several decades. Although there have not been, and are not likely to be, any definitive randomized studies comparing radical prostatectomy, external beam radiotherapy, and brachytherapy, treatment decisions will continue to be made on the basis of patient and physician preferences in conjunction with clinical probabilities. Long-term results in this series show that monotherapy with seed implants achieved disease-free survival of 66%; moreover, 79% of patients with higher grade disease who were treated with a combination of brachytherapy and external beam radiation also experienced long-term disease-free survival. The following article provides a brief historical review of prostate brachytherapy, rationale for treatments, patient selection criteria, up-to-date implant techniques, and long-term (12-year) outcome results.

Salvage brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer after radiotherapy failure.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness and morbidity of salvage brachytherapy for locally recurrent or persistent prostate cancer after radiotherapy failure. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 49 patients of median age 73.3 years (range 52.9 to 86.9) with biopsy-proven localized prostate cancer underwent interactive transperineal fluoroscopic-guided and biplane ultrasound-guided brachytherapy with either iodine 125 or palladium 103 after prior radiotherapy failure. Post-treatment follow-up was conducted for a median of 64.1 months (range 26.6 to 96.8) and included clinical assessment of disease status, assays of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, and documentation of treatment-related symptoms and complications. Determination of biochemical treatment failure was based on two successive rising PSA values above the post-treatment PSA nadir value. RESULTS: The actuarial rate of local prostate cancer control was 98% (95% confidence interval [CI] 94% to 99%). Actuarial disease-specific survival at 3 and 5 years was 89% (95% CI 73% to 96%) and 79% (95% CI 58% to 91%), respectively. At 3 and 5 years, actuarial biochemical disease-free survival was 48% (95% CI 32% to 63%) and 34% (95% CI 17% to 51%), respectively. Post-treatment PSA nadir was found to be a significant predictor of biochemical disease-free survival. Actuarial biochemical disease-free survival of patients who achieved a PSA nadir less than 0.5 ng/mL was 77% (95% CI 53% to 90%) and 56% (95% CI 25% to 78%) at 3 and 5 years, respectively. Of 49 patients, 23 (47%) achieved a post-treatment PSA nadir less than 0.5 ng/mL. The incidence of serious complications after salvage brachytherapy, such as incontinence and rectal complications, was lower than that reported after other types of salvage procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Interactive transperineal fluoroscopic-guided and biplane ultrasound-guided brachytherapy is a novel, potentially curative salvage modality for patients in whom prior radiotherapy failed. In a population of patients with poor prognosis, this modality was associated with a high rate of local prostate cancer control and a 34% actuarial rate of biochemical disease-free survival at 5 years. The incidence of major complications after salvage brachytherapy appears to be lower than that after other potentially curative salvage procedures, such as radical prostatectomy and cryoablation. Salvage brachytherapy warrants further investigation.

Actuarial disease-free survival after prostate cancer brachytherapy using interactive techniques with biplane ultrasound and fluoroscopic guidance.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of interactive transperineal brachytherapy under biplane ultrasound and fluoroscopic guidance in patients with localized prostate cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Brachytherapy using 125I or 103Pd radioactive seeds either alone or in combination with adjunctive external beam radiotherapy (XRT) was administered to 490 patients at a single institution. Post-treatment follow-up included clinical assessment of disease status, assays of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and documentation of treatment-related symptoms and complications. RESULTS: Actuarial disease-free survival at 5 yr was 79% (95% CI, 71-85%), and the 5-yr actuarial rate of local control was 98% (95% CI, 94-99%). Post-treatment PSA nadir and pretreatment PSA level were found to be significant predictors of disease-free survival. In patients with a PSA nadir < 0.5 ng/ml, 5-yr disease-free survival was 93% (95% CI, 84-97%), compared with 25% (95% CI, 5-53%) in patients whose PSA nadir was 0.5-1.0 ng/ml and 15% (95% CI, 3-38) in patients with a PSA nadir > 1.0 ng/ml. Brachytherapy was well tolerated with few post-treatment complications. CONCLUSION: A broad range of patients with localized prostate cancer can benefit from transperineal brachytherapy with minimal morbidity. A post-treatment PSA nadir below 0.5 ng/ml provides a useful prognostic indicator of favorable long-term outcome.

Has radiotherapy become too expensive to be considered a treatment option for early glottic cancer?

BACKGROUND: External beam radiotherapy and surgery produce equivalent long-term survival and tumor control in early glottic cancer. The expense and cost of radiotherapy have been challenged. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed for 57 patients undergoing radiotherapy for glottic cancer. End points included local tumor control, relapse-free survival, cause-specific survival, medical charges, and costs. The results were compared with those of 265 patients who underwent transoral endoscopic removal or an open laryngeal procedure at the same institution. RESULTS: The local control, larynx preservation, re-treatment, voice quality, relapse-free survival, and cancer death results and medical charges and costs are reported by treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Radiotherapy provides at least equivalent, if not superior, local tumor control, larynx preservation, voice quality, and survival, compared with the surgical options. Overall medical charges and costs for radiotherapy are similar to transoral endoscopic resection and less than partial vertical laryngectomy.

Conservative therapy of breast cancer. The Mayo Clinic experience.

PURPOSE: A retrospective analysis of patients with intraductal and early-stage invasive breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiation was conducted to determine the local recurrence and survival rates. Between January 1979 and December 1989, 181 patients were treated with breast-conserving surgery and definitive radiation. Nine of these patients also had either synchronous or metachronous bilateral breast cancers also treated with breast conservation. Fourteen cases were intraductal cancer, while the remaining were invasive carcinomas. With a median length of patient follow-up of 4.9 years following initiation of radiation, the overall survival at 5 and 8 years was 93% and 83%, respectively. The local recurrence-free survival at both 5 and 8 years for all patients was 96%. The overall and recurrence-free survival of the intraductal patients alone was 100% at 5 years. Lymph node status and grade were identified as variables associated with time until recurrence based on a stepwise Cox proportional hazards model analysis. Physician assessment of cosmesis was ranked as good to excellent in 82% of patients. This study further substantiates the role of breast-conserving surgery and definitive radiation in the treatment of early-stage breast cancer.

Prolonged amenorrhea associated with total nodal irradiation for Hodgkin's disease.

Pelvic irradiation in the treatment of Hodgkin's disease, including total nodal irradiation, may result in substantial radiation to the ovaries unless oophoropexy and central pelvic shielding is used. Despite such precautions, temporary or permanent amenorrhea may result due to direct or scattered radiation. This article describes a 32-year-old patient who underwent oophoropexy followed by total nodal irradiation for Hodgkin's disease. The patient became amenorrheic for 14 consecutive months. Spontaneous recovery of ovarian function with resumption of menses then occurred and has remained normal to date. The occurrence of prolonged but temporary amenorrhea should be recognized after pelvic radiotherapy for the treatment of Hodgkin's disease.

The result of radical retropubic prostatectomy and adjuvant therapy for pathologic stage C prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: The results of therapy in 288 men with pathologic Stage C prostate cancer who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) were analyzed to determine the effects of adjuvant therapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twenty-seven of the 288 patients received preoperative neoadjuvant hormonal therapy (leuprolide acetate). Postoperatively, 60 patients received adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) to the prostate bed. Follow-up ranged from 3 to 83 months (median = 32 months). Freedom from failure (FFF) was defined as maintaining a serum PSA level of < or = 0.3 ng/ml. RESULTS: The FFF was 61% at 3 years and 45% at 5 years for the entire group. The FFF following RRP plus RT was 75% at 3 years and 57% at 5 years as compared to 56% at 3 years and 40% at 5 years for RRP without RT (p=0.049). The FFF following RRP plus neoadjuvant hormonal therapy was 58% at 3 years and 40% at 5 years as compared to 60% at 3 years and 45% at 5 years following RRP without hormonal therapy (p=0.3). In patients without seminal vesicle (SV) invasion, the FFF was 81% at 3 years and 5 years for RRP plus RT as compared to 61% at 3 years and 50% at 5 years for RRP without RT (p=0.01). In patients with SV invasion, the FFF was 61% at 3 years and 36% at 5 years for RRP plus RT as compared to 44% at 3 years and 23% at 5 years for RRP without RT (p=0.23). The projected local control rate was 83% at 5 years for those with RRP alone as compared to 100% for RRP plus RT (p=0.02). Survival at 5 years was projected to be 92% and was not significantly altered by the administration of adjuvant therapies. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative RT was associated with significantly improved local control and FFF rates, especially in patients with tumors which did not involve the seminal vesicles.

Radiation therapy for glottic cancer using 6-MV photons.

BACKGROUND: It has been recommended that cobalt-60 or 4-MV photons be used when treating glottic cancer with radiation therapy. Underdosing may occur when using higher energy photons, particularly when the anterior commissure is involved. The authors report their experience using higher energy photons (6 MV) for the treatment of glottic cancer. METHODS: Between January 1975 and July 1991, 73 patients with Tis, T1, T2, or T3 glottic tumors underwent radiation therapy with curative intent. Cobalt-60 or 4-MV photons were used to treat the cancers of 30 patients, and 6-MV photons were used to treat 43 patients. Clinical records were reviewed retrospectively to determine patterns of treatment failure, cancer deaths, and local tumor control in the 43 patients receiving treatment with 6-MV photons. Patients were followed until death or for a minimum of two years. RESULTS: Treatment failures were: local recurrence, one patient; local recurrence and distant metastasis, one patient; delayed neck metastasis, two patients; and delayed neck metastasis with distant metastasis, one patient. Three patients who had treatment failure are alive and free of cancer after salvage treatment. Two patients died of neck and distant metastases. The 2-year initial local tumor control rate was 94.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Glottic cancer can be treated successfully with 6-MV photons. Local tumor control is similar to that reported using cobalt-60 or 4-MV photons.

Liposarcoma of the pleura.

Pleural liposarcomas are extremely rare; only eight cases have been reported in the literature. Herein we describe a 38-year-old man who had dyspnea on exertion and chest pain. Computed tomography of the chest revealed a large mass in the right pleural cavity. Thoracotomy was performed, and the patient recovered with no complications. Postoperative adjuvant irradiation was successful. In addition to the current case, we review the previously reported cases of pleural liposarcomas and discuss the treatment outcomes.

Radiotherapy for isolated increases in serum prostate-specific antigen levels after radical prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcome of radiotherapy in patients with increased serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels 6 months or more after radical prostatectomy. DESIGN: In 27 Mayo Clinic patients, we examined the results of radiotherapy relative to various potentially prognostic factors during a median follow-up of 25 months. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All 27 patients had no nodal involvement at the time of prostatectomy and no clinical evidence of disease, as determined by history, physical examination, a radionuclide bone scan, computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis, chest roentgenography, complete blood cell counts, and serum chemistry profiles. With use of 10-MV photons and a four-field approach, these patients received irradiation to the prostatic bed (60 to 67 Gy in 1.8- to 2.0-Gy fractions). RESULTS: Levels of PSA initially decreased in 24 of the 27 patients (89%). In 16 of the 27 patients (59%), the PSA level decreased to 0.3 ng/mL or less without hormonal intervention. "Freedom from failure" (defined as the actuarial chance of maintaining a PSA level of 0.3 ng/mL or less) was 58% at 2 years and 48% at 3 years. The response to salvage radiotherapy was more favorable in patients with no tumor spread into the seminal vesicles and those with serum PSA levels of less than 1.1 ng/mL at the beginning of radiotherapy than in those with seminal vesicle involvement or higher PSA levels. In addition, patients who received radiation doses of 64 Gy or more had more favorable responses than did those who received lesser doses. Radiotherapy resulted in no severe toxicity. No patient had clinical evidence of disease at the time of this report. CONCLUSION: Isolated increases in serum PSA after prostatectomy indicate the presence of residual or recurrent disease, and radiotherapy effectively decreases the PSA in approximately half the cases. This result is achieved by eradicating residual or recurrent cancer in the postoperative tumor bed.

Breast conservation therapy for invasive breast cancer: a review of prior trials and the Mayo Clinic experience.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of breast conservation therapy in the management of early-stage invasive breast cancer. DESIGN: We reviewed the results of previously published trials and summarized 165 cases of breast conservation surgical procedures and irradiation at the Mayo Clinic between January 1979 and September 1989. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From the prior clinical trials, the criteria for selection of patients, the surgical and radiation techniques used, the complications of treatment, the cosmetic results, and the follow-up assessment and survival were analyzed. The 165 Mayo patients were also characterized, and their results were described. RESULTS: Breast conservation therapy consists of excision of the primary tumor followed by irradiation. A coordinated multidisciplinary approach should be used for selection of patients. Several large-scale clinical trials have demonstrated that breast conservation therapy is an appropriate option for most women with early-stage breast cancer and provides tumor control and survival rates equivalent to mastectomy. With a collaborative treatment program and judicious application of contemporary standards of practice, a good-to-excellent cosmetic outcome can be achieved in most patients, and the risk of treatment-related sequelae is minimal. The Mayo Clinic experience with breast conservation therapy is consistent with these observations and compares favorably with other institutional and clinical trial results. CONCLUSION: Patients should be fully educated about the options for primary management of early-stage breast cancer because the selection of therapy may profoundly influence psychologic adjustment and acceptance of the treatment program.

Radiation therapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the patient population referred for radiation therapy for tonsillar cancer and to assess the effectiveness of use of only radiation therapy in this population. DESIGN: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 21 patients referred to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, from 1970 through 1988 for radiation therapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsillar region. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The median age of the 21 study patients was 65 years (range, 45 to 92), and the male:female ratio was 12:9. In all patients, follow-up continued until death or for 2.25 to 16.25 years. Of the 21 patients, 17 had tumors that were either surgically unresectable or medically inoperable, and 20 had clinical stage III or IV disease. The median total dose of irradiation was 55 Gy. RESULTS: Local control of the tonsillar cancer was as follows: T2, four of five patients; T3, seven of seven; and T4, five of nine. Thus, the local control rate was 76%. No associations were discovered among local control, total dose of radiation therapy, dose per fraction, overall duration of treatment, age, sex, or reason for referral for radiation therapy. Control of metastatic cervical adenopathy was as follows: clinical stage N1, seven of seven patients; N2, six of seven; and N3, one of one. (Six study patients had no nodal involvement.) The estimated 5-year cause-specific survival and overall survival rates were 77% and 31%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study substantiates the effectiveness of radiation therapy in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil.

Prospective phase I evaluation of radiation therapy, 5-fluorouracil, and levamisole in locally advanced gastrointestinal cancer.

PURPOSE: A recent clinical trial in patients with resected node-positive colon cancer demonstrated a clear survival advantage for patients treated with adjuvant 5-fluorouracil and levamisole. This finding led to interest in development of a Phase III trial comparing 5-fluorouracil and levamisole with 5-fluorouracil, levamisole, and radiation therapy in colon cancer patients at high risk for local recurrence. A prospective evaluation of 5-fluorouracil, levamisole, and radiation therapy was undertaken with the goal of establishing a satisfactorily tolerated regimen. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Fifteen patients were studied who had locally advanced or locally recurrent upper abdominal gastrointestinal cancer (11 patients) or large bowel cancer confined to the pelvis (4 patients). The tumor and regional lymph nodes received 45 Gy in 25 fractions. Patients with pelvic tumors subsequently were treated with a radiation boost of 5.4-9 Gy in 3-5 fractions. Systemic therapy consisted of 5-fluorouracil, 450 mg/m2, given intravenously for 3 consecutive days during the first and last weeks of radiation therapy. Levamisole, 50 mg, given orally 3 times daily was used for 3 consecutive days concurrent with initiation of radiation therapy and 5-fluorouracil, at the beginning of the third week of radiation therapy, and concurrent with the final 3-day course of 5-fluorouracil. RESULTS: Therapy was generally well tolerated. In two patients, > or = grade 3 nonhematologic toxicity developed and consisted of transient small bowel obstruction in one and severe nausea and vomiting related to levamisole administration in another. One patient experienced grade 3 hematologic toxicity with a leukocyte count nadir of 1,600 cells/microL. CONCLUSIONS: These results are similar to the toxicity profile reported elsewhere for radiation therapy and 5-fluorouracil. The addition of levamisole to radiation therapy and 5-fluorouracil does not appear to increase toxicity significantly.

Postoperative irradiation for tonsillar carcinoma.

From January 1975 through July 1987 at the Mayo Clinic, 16 patients received postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil (pathologic stage I in 4 patients, stage III in 3, and stage IV in 9). Follow-up was continued for a minimum of 2 years or until death. At 5 years, overall survival was 74% and disease-free survival was 68% for the entire group of patients. The local-regional control rate at 5 years was 83% for 12 patients with pathologic stage III or IV disease; the 5-year disease-free survival rate was 74%. The results with use of postoperative irradiation for stage III or IV tonsillar cancer seem superior to those for a similar historical group of patients who underwent surgical treatment only. Because the number of patients was small and the analysis was retrospective, our study may have included some undetected bias.

Pseudosclerodermatous panniculitis after irradiation: an unusual complication of megavoltage treatment of breast carcinoma.

An unusual edematous and indurated erythema developed in four patients with breast carcinoma 1 to 6 months after conservative surgical treatment and irradiation. The radiation therapy consisted of megavoltage x-ray photon with or without either electron beam or iridium-192 interstitial boost. Several tissue biopsy specimens revealed pronounced lymphocytic dermal and fat inflammation in conjunction with focal areas of plasma cells. The connective tissue bundles were enlarged and hyalinized. Macrophages and isolated giant cells were noted in the dermis. One biopsy specimen showed elastic tissue in giant cell cytoplasm. No mucin, fibrin, formation of cysts, or calcification was present. Lipophages and hyaline connective tissue replaced some fat lobules. The radiation-induced changes of dilated and hyalinized blood vessels, endothelial cell hyperplasia, fibrosis associated with involution of epidermal appendages, and fibroblasts were present. This combination of radiation-related and inflammatory pathologic changes is unusual and emphasizes the remarkable qualities of this rare reaction. The clinical differential diagnoses of recurrent carcinoma, cellulitis, and connective tissue disease can be excluded by reviewing the pathologic characteristics.

Early-stage squamous cell carcinoma of the glottic larynx managed with radiation therapy.

Between January 1975 and December 1985, 45 patients with carcinoma in situ or invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the glottic larynx received radiation therapy at the Mayo Clinic. Local control in the entire group of 45 patients was 84% (in 6 of 6 with carcinoma in situ and in 32 of 39 with invasive cancers). Three of seven patients (43%) with local recurrences underwent successful larynx-preserving surgical procedures; thus, the rate of laryngeal preservation was 91%. In our study of several treatment factors, including the duration of treatment, type of treatment (continuous course versus split course), photon energy (60Co versus 4-MV photons versus 6-MV photons), total dose, and dose per fraction, we found that only total dose of 6,300 cGy or more was associated with significantly improved local control (in 35 of 38 patients [92%]). Two patients (4%) died of uncontrolled delayed nodal metastases, one of which was preceded by a local recurrence. Severe laryngeal edema developed in two patients, associated with recurrent glottic carcinoma in one of them. No larynx was lost because of complications. In our current treatment recommendations, patients receive a total dose of 6,300 cGy in 28 fractions of 225 cGy each, administered in a continuous course with use of 6-MV photons.